Thomas Joseph Tobin
Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm | |
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Motto | Strong - loving - wise |
Styles of Thomas Joseph Tobin | ||
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Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Bishop |
Thomas Joseph Tobin (born April 1, 1948) is an American
Tobin has upheld Catholic teaching on abortion and same-sex marriage.
Biography
Early life
Thomas Tobin was born on April 1, 1948, in
Priesthood
Tobin was
Bishop
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh
On November 3, 1992, Tobin was appointed as
Bishop of Youngstown
John Paul II appointed Tobin as bishop of Youngstown on December 5, 1995. He was installed on February 2, 1996. In 1997, Tobin received an
Bishop of Providence
John Paul II appointed Tobin as bishop of Providence on March 31, 2005. He was installed on May 31, 2005. Tobin was a board member of Providence College in Providence and of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. [1]
He also maintains a column for his diocesan newspaper, Without a Doubt. These columns have been published in two volumes: Without a Doubt: Bringing Faith to Life and Effective Faith: Faith that Makes a Difference.[2] Tobin is an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and displays a Steelers banner on his residence during each game day.
When the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report on Sexual Abuse detailed sexual abuse in the Diocese of Pittsburgh during Tobin's tenure as auxiliary bishop, Tobin said he "became aware of incidents of sexual abuse when they were reported" but did not report them to local authorities or to parishioners. Tobin explained that he was "...not primarily responsible for clergy issues … Issues involving clergy were handled directly by the Diocesan Bishop with the assistance of the clergy office”. He also said that he carried out "other administrative duties such as budgets, property, diocesan staff, working with consultative groups".[3]
Pope Francis accepted Tobin's resignation as bishop of Providence on 1 May 2023.[4]
Views
Abortion
In November 2009, US Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy said Tobin told him not to take communion in the diocese because of his support for abortion rights for women. Tobin said he had written Kennedy in confidence in 2007 and never intended a public discussion, adding:
"At the same time, I will absolutely respond publicly and strongly whenever he attacks the Catholic Church, misrepresents the teachings of the Church, or issues inaccurate statements about my pastoral ministry."[5]
In August 2013, Tobin announced that he had changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican, citing the Democratic Party's support for abortion rights as his primary motivation. Later in 2013, he criticized Pope Francis on multiple occasions. After the pope reprimanded Catholics who "obsess" over abortion, Tobin, without mentioning the Pope by name, called the abortion issue "a very important obsession". "It’s one thing for him to reach out and embrace and kiss little children," Tobin said. "It would also be wonderful if in a spiritual way he would reach out and embrace and kiss unborn children." He added that he was "a little disappointed in Pope Francis." Many Rhode Island lawmakers criticized Tobin for his words, both on abortion and homosexuality, with one alleging that his tone was "not very Christian-like." Many publicly stated that they preferred Francis's less dogmatic approach. Tobin later defended himself, referring to his comments as "little concerns," adding that he had said "a lot of nice things" about Francis. On a separate occasion, he asked, "Is an ‘easy’ church, devoid of any moral imperatives or challenge, being faithful to its mission?"[6]
LGBT rights
When President Barack Obama announced support for same-sex marriage, Tobin said it was "a sad day in American history".[7] He teaches that voting for an abortion rights supporter, feminist, or pro-LGBTQ candidate is morally unacceptable. He also stated:
... the Catholic Church has respect, love and pastoral concern for our brothers and sisters who have same-sex attraction. I sincerely pray for God’s blessings upon them, that they will enjoy much health, happiness and peace.... Our respect and pastoral care, however, does not mean that we are free to endorse or ignore immoral or destructive behavior, whenever or however it occurs. Indeed, as St. Paul urges us, we are required to “speak the truth in love.” (Eph 4:15). At this moment of cultural change, it is important to affirm the teaching of the Church, based on God’s word, that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2357) and always sinful. And because “same-sex marriages” are clearly contrary to God’s plan for the human family, and therefore objectively sinful, Catholics should examine their consciences very carefully before deciding whether or not to endorse same-sex relationships or attend same-sex ceremonies, realizing that to do so might harm their relationship with God and cause significant scandal to others.[8]
On June 1, 2019, Tobin tweeted:
Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ "Pride Month" events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.'[9]
Tobin received both backlash and support for the tweet, and as reported by the
...clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the Church. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human rights and civil rights recognized and protected by law. However, the legalization of their civil unions, which seek to simulate holy matrimony, is not admissible.[18]
Social networks
After being a major Catholic
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References
- ^ a b c d e "Bishop Tobin". Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "The Rhode Island Catholic". January 12, 2008. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008.
- Providence Journal. August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
- ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 01.05.2023" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Gilgoff, Dan. "Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin's Response to Rep. Patrick Kennedy". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
- ^ Stanton, Mike (December 10, 2013). "Combative R.I. bishop counters Pope Francis's message". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- Providence Journal. May 20, 2012. Archived from the originalon October 29, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Tobin, Thomas Joseph (May 2, 2013). "Letter to Catholics on the Approval of "Same-Sex Marriage" in RI". Diocese of Providence. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ "Original tweet regarding LGBTQ "Pride Month"".
- ^ "Providence Bishop Tobin responds to controversy over 'Pride' tweet". Catholic News Agency. June 3, 2019.
- ^ Kilgannon, Maddie (June 1, 2019). "Providence bishop faces backlash for homophobic tweet". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ Broccoli, Kevin (June 4, 2019). "An Open Letter to Thomas Tobin, Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence". Motif Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- Motif Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Ryan, Mike (June 15, 2019). "On the Relocation of the RI Theater Awards". Motif Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Edward (June 15, 2019). "R.I. diocese won't let magazine hold event at auditorium after it criticized bishop". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Anderson, Patrick (June 16, 2019). "Diocese of Providence closes McVinney Auditorium to theater awards show". The Providence Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Perry, Jack (August 12, 2020). "Bishop Tobin stirs up Twitter with Biden tweet". Providence Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ McGowan, Dan (October 21, 2020). "Providence Bishop Tobin criticizes Pope Francis again, this time over same-sex civil unions". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
External links
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